News & Alerts

Summer 2015 newsletter

Dear friend,

Many believe the human journey is about extending our empathy to broader circles. Yet in today’s world, those who work to protect our streams and forests are derogatorily dubbed “tree huggers.” Those who work for social and political equality for women may be afraid to use the word “feminist.” How have we arrived at a place where there are still some who wish to punish us for understanding the common ground everything shares? A while ago, we introduced you to our Common Ground campaign – where our singularly focused work for animals in labs, reaches out to broader landscapes of human advocacy.

We want to find those who have not yet arrived at the wisdom that all oppression springs from the same greed and arbitrary defining of who is oppressed and who is protected. That every tree, woman, or animal has a will to live. Common Ground seeks advocates of other movements who dream of a better world and who understand Yeats’ words: “In dreams begins responsibilities” – responsibilities that include other species. NEAVS’ dream of justice for animals, shares roots with what is just for the earth, women, and others.

Surveys tell us that in our work for animals in labs, women are our greatest allies. Yet, our culture creates obstacles to women advancing in the ranks of science where true change can be best effected.

So many in our movement are women. And so we decided to dedicate our Summer UPDATE to women in our movement, and to those we’re welcoming as they connect the cosmetics they wear, the hormones they take, the choices they make in school and their careers, to the millions of animals held in the grip of status quo research.

I hope you celebrate the women in this issue and give thought to getting women of compassion into the biomedical fields. Please appreciate that while we leave no man unacknowledged, it is fitting that we dedicate this one issue in praise of women.